Impressions: Puppy Palooza

I love dogs. I love cats. Actually, I’m a big animal fan, period. I just can’t get enough of our furry little friends. Especially puppies. Forget children and “hot guys.” Puppies are my vice. And the sweetest app for the iPhone/iPod Touch caters directly to me because of that. Puppy Palooza may be a very simple music memorization game, but it’s cute! Coming from Rock Ridge Games, makers of similar fare with Western Wind and Kitty Chorus, it’s also fun. And it’s cheap.

Start up the game and the most relaxing music-box tune begins to play, followed by a voice that presumably belongs to the adorable puppy featured in the game’s icon and main menu. The absolutely adorable puppy welcomes you to the game where you can choose from a couple of options – we’ll start with the option to play the game, or “”Puppy Pursuit.”

The premise couldn’t be any simpler. A line of cute little puppies are waiting, lined up beside each other on some vibrant green grass. Each has their own icon beneath them featuring a bone. Each round, a puppy will bark and the icon will turn red, indicating that you need to press it. Additional puppies will soon bark each round and it will be up to you to listen and repeat. It’s much like the classic game Simon, only with simple puppies and differently-pitched barks. Simply go as long as you can while correctly parroting each series of barks. That’s it! While it sounds extremely simple (and boring to many of you) it’s a cute diversion that’s perfect for picking up, playing a few rounds, and slipping the iPod right back into your pocket. And who can pass up puppies?

If you want to experiment a bit you can choose the “Puppy Palooza” option, which allows you to record simple songs by recording each puppy’s bark as you press the corresponding panel. “Share A Song” will allow you to play back your creations. Get creative and see what you can come up with.

The production values aren’t the highest in the world and you needn’t be a rocket scientist to figure this game out. It’s still worth a look for bite-sized chunks of entertainment in such an adorable way; I freely admit that it had me choking back some tears at how innocent and cute the entire package is. Suppose I’m sentimental, but that sort of thing really resonates with me.

Spend some time with the puppies in Puppy Palooza. I’d also recommend it wholeheartedly for younger gamers who are just getting into technology (especially those who love animals!).

Pfhor the Who?

Brittany Vincent is an accomplished video game and freelance entertainment writer whose work has been featured in esteemed publications and online venues in the realm of video games, entertainment, and more.

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I am Editor-in-Chief of Modojo. I can also be seen at Shacknews, Crunchyroll, Anime Now, Geek.com, and more -- including print publications like Otaku USA, MyM Magazine, Official Xbox Magazine, GamesMaster, and more.